Noor begins with a party. The titular character of the children's book has done well in school and her family is celebrating her success. The smell of a freshly baked cake wafts from the kitchen. There are sounds of balloons inflating in the living room and of cutlery being laid out on the table.
Readers of the illustrated Arabic book will not immediately realise that young Noor is visually impaired. They will follow her as she uses her other heightened senses to learn and enjoy everything going on around her. Her condition will become gradually apparent to readers as she receives a number of presents from her family: a cat she's always wanted, a flower she can identify by its fragrance and a book in braille.
"I have always wondered what it would be like to lack one of the five senses; how differently I would then perceive the world," Noor's author Sanaa Chabbani tells The National.
The Lebanese writer – who also works at the University of Balamand’s Faculty of Health Sciences, producing educational materials and implementing community development projects – says that children with disabilities often adapt differently from those who are gifted with all five senses.
“Studies have proved that four functioning senses of blind and visually impaired [people] are heightened to navigate their environment,” she says. “For instance, they develop their own visualisations and markers for what is around them by applying their heightened sense of smell, touch and hearing.”
In Chabbani's book, Noor's parents, her brother and sister come together to support the young protagonist. Each one has a unique impact in helping her learn and adapt to her surroundings.
It is clear that Noor derives her strength and positivity from her loving family. The story hints that her parents might be under financial duress and the little girl understands the challenges they face to meet the needs of the family.
“There are a number of social barriers that impact a family who has a child with a developmental disability, hearing problem, or visual impairment,” Chabbani says.
[My stories] relay how important it is to empower young girls. How necessary it is for them to have access to education and to develop a scientific mind to help them face life's challenges.
“The first barrier usually is encountered within the family – a lot depends on how families respond to the question of acceptance and how well they embrace their child’s disability. The second barrier is financial – whether or not families can afford the high costs of medical care and related care amenities. More broadly, the way national policies are structured and how strong the culture of inclusion in society are, will determine the child’s future.”
Chabbani wrote this story to convey the difference love can make, both for the child with a disability and the family. She says that parents who are strong and loving give their child a healthy upbringing and create a safer and happier life for them.
“This was my overarching premise for Noor's character development. Once I had fully developed her, the rest of the story evolved organically,” Chabbani says.
But writing Noor did not come without challenges. As the story was aimed towards a young audience, the author had to be mindful of how to present a number of complex ideas as simply as possible, using short sentences and expressions that are easy to read and understand.
“Some of the challenges were how to express all the emotions of a girl with visual impairment. How could I describe the main character the way she deserved to be? I wanted to portray Noor as someone filled with enthusiasm, love, emotions, gratitude, excitement and satisfaction. It took me two months to find the right words that despite their simplicity, would trigger the right emotions in the reader.”
Noor's publisher, Kalimat – an imprint of the Sharjah-based Kalimat Group – wanted Chabbani's writing to be accompanied by illustrations that would add a layer of meaning and reveal the hidden emotions in the story.
Argentinian illustrator Hector Borlasca – who has worked on more than a dozen children’s books in English, Spanish and Arabic – was selected for the job. Chabbani says he “was just right for the book”, even though the two had never met.
“When I saw the samples, I felt so happy,” she says. “[Borlasca] was able to convey the meaning of each sentence through his illustration. I felt this harmony existed in our thoughts even without knowing each other.”
Published in September 2019, Noor is different from Chabbani's other works, mainly because it is the first time she has set out to write a book with a visually impaired protagonist. However, Noor and her other stories, all of which have been published by Kalimat, do have one message in common.
"The works all relay how important it is to empower young girls," the author says. "How necessary it is for them to have access to education and to develop a scientific mind to help them face life's challenges. To have the self-confidence to dream high and enjoy the company of family, friends, and care for nature."
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Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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Newcastle United 1
Joselu (11')
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How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
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THREE
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The specs
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- Torque: 760nm
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
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The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
